Written by Mathew Naismith
I came across a very interesting article titled, "Are you enlightened or an #escapist?" I am certainly not alone in thinking how spirituality today is being abused and misused once again. If you are not expressive of today's glitter and glamour #spiritually, you are certainly not a part of today's love and light of spirituality and this is very sad indeed. In today's spirituality, love seems to have huge amounts of conditions attached to it, not less. If you are not expressive of this obvious false love and light, you are usually critically judged as being negative or far worse. As it is said, "Father forgive them, they know not what they do", and as prophesied, it is the age of false prophets and teachers, as is clearly being shown.
Escapism: An inclination to retreat from unpleasant realities through diversion or fantasy.
How many of us find this reality unpleasant, even to the extent of calling this reality toxic? Now, what has this lead to? The following was my response to this article.
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Thank you for your enlightening perspectives Mike, a breath of fresh air I must say.
Firstly, I have lost count how many people have had their most enlightening experiences while going through some kind of trauma.
Secondly, yes you are spot on; so many people today are using spirituality to escape. Spirituality is often abused through self-indulgence, an escapism from a toxic world and this is where the problem lays.
Spiritual practices are not about escapism but about coping better with the present environment, whatever that present environment may be. Look at how many westerners are using eastern practices like meditation. #Mediation isn't about taking control but releasing oneself from control. Meditation isn't about controlling the brain to the extent the brain doesn't think or only thinks in a certain way. Meditation is about releasing oneself from control altogether, which will naturally, in the absence of control, lead to the brain thinking less. Yes, our quality of life will improve but not through being more controlling.
We use control to escape and to serve our self-indulgences, to escape a toxic world, poor living conditions, an environment that doesn't serve our desires, etc. So many talk about being in the now/present, while at the same time trying to escape the present!!
As, for example, Hindu and Mayan texts and prophecies predict, we are going through a natural cycle, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. Spirituality used in the correct way can make this cycle easier for us to traverse, however, spiritually used for self-indulgences will make this cycle seem like hell/toxic, when it is simply a natural cycle.
Absolutely Mike, anyone in any circumstance can become enlightened."
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